(no subject)

I will say this for that pita recipe, I got one single perfect pita out of it. The rest are...well, they're edible, but they don't split open as pitas should. I think I needed to let them rise a bit. The perfect pita was the last one to go on the baking sheet, so it was significantly more risen than the others. I covered it in pesto and low-moisture mozzarella and toasted it, so now it is cold "pitzza" for one day's lunch this coming week.

Then I sliced open my hand while trying to rescue the mock apple pies.

They actually taste quite good -- more lemony than anything, but in a nice "lemon bar" kind of way, not a weird "why is lemon in this" kind of way. The syrup bubbled over the edges of the tart pan, instantly welding the tart pan and the baking sheet together, which did cause some problems. The tart pan, being coated entirely in teflon, was saved, but the baking sheet I'm afraid is doomed. I needed a new one anyway, that one was a $1 special at the thrift store. (I will undoubtedly be going to the thrift store for its replacement, because old habits die hard.) My thumb, which took the brunt of the "shouldn't have tried this maneuver bare handed" damage, is taped up and fine.

Oooh, I could do with a thrift store field trip today. I wonder where the nearest one is. On the one hand my neighborhood is full of broke art students, but on the other hand it's also full of rich people who work in the loop and don't like thrift stores too nearby. It's a heady combination, let me tell you.

The egg buns, I am sad to say, did change texture overnight in the fridge; they melted into a sort of sticky wad vaguely reminiscent of nearly-dry paiper mache. I think, perhaps, the egg bun experiment is a failure.

Review: Tough Jews by Rich Cohen

I've been watching The Making Of The Mob: New York, which is a series of half-documentary, half-reenactment episodes about the rise of organized crime in America in the early 20th century, and one of the people they spoke to caught my eye: Rich Cohen, author of "Tough Jews". I thought that sounded like an amazing book, so I snagged a digital copy. I'm trying to track what I read a little better, hence: a review!

( Tough Jews by Rich Cohen )

I'm a nut for this kind of true crime, so I found the book really enjoyable. I'd take some portions with a grain of salt, perhaps, but I think it makes a great story and a compelling account of the outsiders to outsiders -- people of the criminal underworld who lived, and thrived, even further out on the fringes than the Italian immigrants who came to dominate New York organized crime. Well worth a read if you're into 20th century history or crime history, or American Jewish culture for that matter.